It's OK not to take on every assignment.

It happens to the most well-intentioned among us. You're
asked to do something at work outside of your normal duties and you
willingly agree. You do a good job and the following week you are asked
by the same person to do something else. This continues for a long time
and you eventually begin to feel overburdened and as if you're being taken advantage of.

You're probably asking how you got yourself in this
position and how to get out of it. The first step is recognition. If you
feel you've fallen into this role, you can take action to remove
yourself from it. No one wants to feel that they've lost control of
their work balance, and this can quickly happen when you are being
walked over.

Focus on you. If you've
landed in this position, it may be due to insecurity. Are you afraid to
disappoint others? That may be why you are taking on every new task
given to you. You need to learn to value your contributions
and time, which will allow you to do what you need to do to be
successful without compromising your priorities, utmost of which should
be caring for yourself.

Ask for help. When you
are constantly giving to others, you're probably not asking for much
help. That can be damaging to your well-being as well as from a time
perspective. Asking for help does not exhibit weakness; rather, it shows
that you acknowledge you don't know the answer to everything and it's
okay to ask for assistance. You're not supposed to know all the answers!
This also sends the signal to your colleagues that you are not afraid
to ask for help, and you will not be the one doing all the grunt work.

Learn to say no. This is a tough one, but it's an essential skill in the workplace. Those who set up boundaries
tend to have a more positive experience on the job. Contrary to what
you may think, saying "yes" to every request can give your co-workers a
negative impression. They may see that as an inability on your part to
prioritize overall and maintain a balance. It's much better to be honest
up front when you do not have time for something. If you wait until a
day or two before a deadline to tell someone you won't have time to
complete something instead of saying "no" at the outset, you will also
damage your reputation. If this is hard for you to do, start by offering
to do smaller tasks that take very little time, say five to ten
minutes, and go from there.

Evaluate your to-do list. Learn
to think critically about your to-do list. What is absolutely essential
and must be done today? What can wait until tomorrow? With constant
access to email, we automatically think that every message warrants a
response as soon as possible. However, continuously asking yourself the
question "Does this really need to be done right now?" may yield
surprising results and give you back a lot of your free time.

Cut back on your hours. If you're always working overtime
and feel that you need to be the first one in the office and last one
out, ditch that mentality. In most cases, you'll gain more respect for
completing your work within your workday (with some exceptions of
course), and if you don't, there's likely something wrong
with your boss, management or company culture. If there are obstacles
stopping you from getting your work done within normal work hours, think
about how to slash them. Is there a barrage of meetings each day or
people who are constantly coming to gossip with you and interrupt your
work? These are two things you can skip or cut out by making the
decision and sticking with it.

In order to avoid the office doormat label, you first
need to recognize your self-worth. Once you accept that your time is
valuable and you deserve respect, you can begin to take back your time
and energy and put it into your core work tasks and personal time in
order to do things that matter to you. Don't let people take advantage
of your kindness and willingness to give of your knowledge and time.
It's not worth the long-term risk to your health or your professional
reputation.

Over the last few years, the job market has been pretty
brutal. With so many job seekers vying over the same openings,
competition has reached sky-high limits. In response, some candidates
are going to crazy lengths to get noticed. Whether candidates submit
their resume on a chocolate bar, perform a guitar solo about why they're
the perfect fit for the job, film over-the-top YouTube videos that have
gone viral, employers have seen just about everything.

As crazy as some of these situations sound, they have one common
denominator: they worked. The candidates captured their target
employers' attention and sometimes even landed the job.

While filming a video and making it go viral might be a bit
impractical for you, there are some more realistic ways to get noticed.
Here are five clever ways that, when implemented, are sure to make you
stand out from your competition and help you land that coveted job
offer.

1. Impress with Your Resume & Cover Letter

Both your resume and cover letter need to be perfect. This tip sounds
like a no-brainer, but you'd be amazed at how many people—qualified,
competent people—lose job offers simply because of one lazy typo. Have a
friend or trusted colleague take a look at what you've written. An
extra 5 to 10 minutes can make the difference between securing an
interview and being sent a “thanks, but no thanks” message from HR.
Better yet, use LiveCareer's Resume Builder
to create an error-free, professional resume. Whether you're simply
updating your resume or creating your first-ever resume, LiveCareer
makes the writing process easy and fast.

2. Create an Online Profile

Hiring managers will likely Google you, so you need an online profile
that accurately represents you as a professional—like LinkedIn. Your
profile should match your resume, be full of job-specific keywords, and
be 100 percent professional. Remember: you're not on Facebook. It's probably a good idea to delete that picture from your drunken weekend in Cancun—especially if it's your profile picture.

3. Get to Know the Right People
Getting your foot in the door can be as simple as knowing the right
person. You'd be amazed at how many of your friends and acquaintances
will know someone who's looking to hire a candidate with the same skills
you have. Plus, they can also put in a good word for you with the
hiring manager, which is icing on the cake.
Send out emails to former coworkers, ask around on Facebook, set up
lunch meetings with social connections—do whatever it takes to keep your
name on other peoples' minds.

4. Research the Company Website Beforehand

Once you secure an interview, take a moment to let out a sigh of
relief and pat yourself on the back. But keep in mind: the hardest part
of your job search awaits you.
Answering questions about your previous experience just isn't enough
anymore. Before your interview, spend at least one hour researching the
company you're hoping to work for. Spend some time on their website, and
do a little sleuthing about the industry. Having a few really good
questions to ask about the position and company is only going make you
shine even brighter than the candidate who's just relying on his or her
previous experience.

5. Show Your Appreciation

Take a few minutes to write a thank-you note. As simple as it sounds,
you'd be amazed at how many people pass up this last chance to sell
themselves. It's also a great time to ask that really good question that
you thought of after the interview was over.
While these tips may seem obvious, you'd be surprised how many of
them are overlooked or just simply ignored. Apply them to your routine
and are you're sure to get that awesome job you've been dreaming about
in no time. And if you need some help, remember that LiveCareer
has your back. Whether you need to write a resume, cover letter, or a
simple thank-you note, LiveCareer has award-winning tools that
streamline the process.

As a fitness professional, you are highly likely to work with clients who have chronic and/or recurring pain. These clients need to be cleared for exercise by their physician. When they come to you, they will probably have completed or be currently involved with treatment from a licensed medical provider such as a physical therapist or chiropractor. You must remain within your scope of practice at all times and avoid any attempts to treat or diagnose pathological conditions or to provide medical advice.

To best assist clients who are experiencing chronic pain, you need to understand the bio-psycho-social paradigm and what that means in relation to program design, communication and expectations.

Chronic pain can have a global effect, creating stress in many of the body’s systems. The following list from Exercise is Medicine® Australia offers insight into what clients with chronic pain deal with on a daily basis.

“glitches” in the nervous system and brain that worsen sensations of pain in other areas of the body

depressed mood, increased anxiety and more feelings of helplessness

depressed immune system

guarded, compensatory and poorly coordinated movement

heightened stress response

an inability to relax, poor concentration and memory, and disturbed sleep

Source: Exercise is Medicine Australia 2014.

To read more about understanding the biological, psychological and social ramifications of pain, please see"The Many Dimensions of Pain"in the online IDEA Library or in the February 2016 print issue ofIDEA Fitness Journal.If you cannot access the full article and would like to, please contact the IDEA Inspired Service Team at (800) 999-4332, ext. 7.

Getting a hold of the proper documents to work overseas may seem like
an overwhelming, frightening idea. In actuality, it's pretty easy. Here
is our guide to preparing for your overseas employment opportunity.

Know Your Local Consulate
If you're looking to work overseas, the consular should be your new
best friend. A consular is by definition "An official appointed by a
government to reside in a foreign country and represent his or her
government's commercial interests and assist its citizens there (dictionary.com)."
More importantly, a consular is your ticket to obtaining all the
entry/residency requirements you'll need to work in that country. This
is where you apply for your visa or permit. Most countries position
several consulate offices in each foreign country, so you shouldn't have
any trouble finding one. For instance, if you're traveling to France
from Australia, you'll look up the French Embassy in Australia who can
in turn point you to your local consulate office. They can be referred
to as a consulate, consular, or consulate general. No matter the title,
it all means the same thing to you: easily processing your international
employment status.

Meet the Embassy
A country's main presence in a foreign country is often an embassy.
This is an important source of information for anyone who would like to
travel or work overseas. They can also assist you in finding the nearest
consulate office. An Embassy is also sometimes called a "High
Commission."

Working Overseas vs. Playing Overseas
To travel overseas as a tourist and to travel overseas as an employee
are two very different situations. Be aware that the entry procedures
and requirements are usually not the same. For instance, in many cases,
tourists do not need a visa, permitted their stay does not last longer
than a certain time. When entering the country as an employee, not only
does the visit often last longer, requiring a different visa, but the
government might have a say in the activities you can engage in while in
the country.

Be in Touch With Your Employer
Your employer overseas will most likely be responsible for obtaining
your work permit. And without a work permit, you will not be able to
process your visa application. Your employer will also have to produce a
contract of employment that determines your length of stay in the
country and other documents concerning their business validity and your
employment.

Allow Yourself Extra Time
This process can be very time consuming, so allow yourself plenty of
time to complete the visa/work permit process. Processing time can take
anywhere from 2 days in some countries to 6 months in others. Your
employer will have to arrange for certain documents (and their approval)
as well before you can even begin applying for your visa. If you rush
through the procedures you could miss an important step and have to
start from scratch.

Documents to Have Available
Every country requires different documentation for the visa/work permit
application. Some items/documents to have on hand include:

a valid passport

2 or more passport size photos

documentation from your employer

a statewide criminal history record check

a medical certificate

Some European Work Related Vocabulary

The Schengen Visa: allows you to move freely within the Schengen Area, comprised of 15 European countries. http://www.eurovisa.info

EEA: European Economic Area: comprised of the 15 members of the EU
plus Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein. The EEA agreement includes a
provision for the "free movement of persons." This allows nationals to
live, work, study, and establish businesses in any other member
countries with little to no obstacles. Additional information can be
found at : http://eeas.europa.eu/eea/index_en.htm

A Country-by-Country Guide
Here is some basic, general information on what you'll need to work overseas. However, information varies on a case-by-case, country-by-country basis.
It depends on what country you're coming from, what country you're
going to, your job description, and your length of stay. Information
also changes quite often, especially as security issues are becoming
increasingly important. Therefore, it is always best to contact your
local consulate or embassy, which you'll need to do anyway when applying
for your visa.

Singapore's younger adults rank highly in numeracy, literacy and
problem-solving skills, a major international study has found, but the
older generation lags considerably behind. While this reflects the
progress in education and training over the decades here, this "skills
gap" also highlights that more needs to be done to upgrade the skills of
older workers, said experts.
The study of 34 economies by the Organisation for Economic
Cooperation and Development, which included Singapore for the first
time, also linked higher skill levels to better wages here, another
reason for older workers to keep improving themselves.
Still, employers place more premium on qualifications, and a better
balance should be found, believes OECD director for education and skills
Andreas Schleicher.

The results of OECD's Programme for the
International Assessment of Adult Competencies (Piaac), which also
involved countries such as Australia, Japan and South Korea, were
released yesterday. Those aged between 16 and 34 in Singapore ranked
second behind the Finns in problem-solving using digital tools, fifth in
numeracy, which was also topped by Finland, and ninth in literacy,
which was led by Japan.

But older adults here aged 45 to 65 performed lower than the OECD
average. They were ranked 31st in literacy and numeracy skills and 18th
for problem-solving.

The
difference in scores between the younger and older generation here is
also among the widest when compared with other countries. One reason for
the gap, OECD said, could be the survey being conducted in English
here. Almost eight in 10 respondents aged above 35 here said they were
not native speakers.

Mr Ng Cher Pong, chief executive of the Singapore Workforce
Development Agency, believes the difference reflects the marked
improvement in Singapore's education and training systems over the last
50 years - including the ramp-up in schools and programmes.
But it is "hugely important" that Singapore finds ways to upgrade the
skills of older workers, such as through schemes like SkillsFuture,
said Dr Schleicher.
SkillsFuture is a national initiative to equip workers with
skills.Doing so could "dramatically raise" Singapore's productivity and
keep them employable, he said.
He highlighted how the survey, which involved 5,468 citizens and
permanent residents, found that wage levels here were strongly linked to
skill and education levels.
An increase of about 48 points in literacy proficiency scores is
linked to a 12 per cent increase in hourly wages, almost double the OECD
average. About 3.2 extra years in education bring a more than 30 per
cent rise in wages - more than double the OECD average.
"Singapore employers pay quite a lot of attention to formal
qualifications," said Dr Schleicher. But this might not be a good
indicator of one's proficiency.
"It's the use of skills that drives productivity, not years of education," he added.

Earlier this spring, I presented my short call on Kroger (KR),
arguing that America’s largest supermarket chain was feeling the
increased pressure of an intensely competitive food retail environment.
That’s the plain vanilla rationale behind my bear case. But there’s
more.One of the more distressing risks
lurking beneath the surface—one that represents a threat not only to
shareholders, but to pensioners as well—is Kroger’s exposure to a large
number of multi-employer pension plans (MPPs). The company intentionally
keeps these plans in an underfunded status and this has the potential
to backfire on the company. In addition to increasing annual costs, the
company’s total exposure to these plans, in another downturn, is
potentially debilitating.Kroger’s woes are emblematic of an
affliction plaguing pension funds across the country. It’s the same old
story – chronic underfunding, as the swelling ranks of retirees overtake
a smaller base of currently contributing employees.To underscore the issue at hand, MPPs
are the primary source of retirement income for over ten million
active, inactive and retired workers and their survivors. A number of
these pension plans, much like their state-run brethren, are severely
underfunded. In a report to Congress in 2013, the Pension Benefit
Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) estimated that MPPs have $757 billion in
pension benefit liabilities, $391 billion of which are unfunded
obligations. No small potatoes.Kroger is one of the largest
unionized employers in the United States. About 375,000 of their
employees are covered by roughly 300 collective bargaining agreements.
Kroger employees participate in 36 multi-employer pension plans (MPP),
with a combined $70 billion in assets and $100 billion in associated
liabilities.Therein lays the problem.A survey conducted by Segal
Consulting found that 53% of the retail food MPPs in the survey were in
the “red zone.” This means the plans either had “immediate and
significant funding problems” or would be unable “to pay benefits within
15 to 20 years.” Underscoring the severity of the issue, in testimony
before Congress in 2014, Kroger’s Vice President of Pension Investments
and Strategy, Scott Henderson, called “the uncertain fate of the
multiemployer system” a “huge concern.”Here’s what’s even more
disconcerting. Projected MPP shortfalls don’t account for what could
happen to the plans in a protracted financial market downturn. Get this:
Milliman data shows that every 4% decline in asset returns pushes MPP
funding status down by 15% to 20%. That’s an enormous amount of
sensitivity. And it’s significant cause for concern.The story gets worse as a protracted
stock market downturn may be imminent. Consider a comprehensive study of
historical equity returns conducted by hedge fund founder Cliff Asness
of AQR. Asness shows that over the next 10 years, stock returns will
likely only average around 0.5% plus inflation. So call it 2% per year.
In this scenario, these pension plans would see their funding ratios
precipitously drop by 20% to 30%. In other words, an 80% funded plan
today, will drop to 50% to 60% funding within a few years, just as the
number of inactive retirees begins to go parabolic.A perfect storm.Making matters worse, the Government
Accountability Office (GAO) found that if a major MPP becomes insolvent
the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation’s insurance fund would exhaust
within two or three years. This means that if (and when)
MPP-participating employers fail to pay for the full withdrawal
liabilities, due to reasons such as a bankruptcy or going out of
business, the responsibility for the unfunded liabilities shifts to the
employers that remain active in the plan. As a result, the remaining
employers in the multi-employer pension plan are forced to pick up the
tab of many people who never even worked for the company and may have
worked for a competitor or in a different industry.In Kroger’s case, the company’s
rising healthcare and pension costs can’t be swept under the rug. Just
last month, the Treasury Department denied an application put forth by a
critically-impaired MPP, the Central States Plan, in which Kroger
employees participate, to reduce benefits for covered employees arguing
that the plan did not “satisfy the statutory criteria.” Investment
return assumptions of 7.5% were deemed “not reasonable” and the benefit
cuts not “equitably distributed.”This is not an issue that can be
kicked down the road. Unless something drastic is done, millions of
Americans counting on their pensions will be left outside in the cold.Kroger’s investors haven’t yet
grasped the gravity of the situation. In 2015, Kroger’s pension
liability ballooned 61% to $2.9 billion. That number will go even higher
this year, hindering the company’s ability to grow and likely leading
to lower equity value.Little is being done right now to
solve Kroger’s many issues. Investors would do well to get out before
it’s too late. We see 20%-40% downside for shares of Kroger from current
levels. Not to mention the massive potential pain ahead for pensioners.

Howard Penney is a managing director and restaurants analyst for Hedgeye, an independent investment research and online financial media firm based in Stamford, Connecticut.

A simple hello can lead to a million things. Know the right phrases to be successful.

Networking events are a great opportunity to make valuable contacts, professionally and personally. But many people stress over the pressure of trying to connect quickly and impressively with complete strangers. Some even stay away because they can't get comfortable with the idea.

It's definitely a situation that can prey on any insecurities
you have, but if you prepare well, you can know that you won't be
caught in a long weird silence or trying to think of something to say
that doesn't sound awkward. Then you'll be ready not just for networking
events but for company picnics, conferences, cocktail parties, and any
other social events that take you outside your circle of family and
friends.

Here are eight perfect icebreakers to learn and practice.

1. Hi, my name is . . .

Start with the basics. Put out your hand, flash a genuine smile, make
eye contact, and introduce yourself. From there the person you're
talking with will almost certainly share their name, and you're already
off to a good start.

2. What do you do?

People love to talk about themselves. If you're inquisitive and
curious, most people will pick it up from there and carry the talking.
Again, it's a question of starting with the basics.

3. What business are you in?

A slightly different version of "What do you do?" Either can be
appropriate, depending on the event and the person. You may even want to
use both. If you learn that you're talking with an accountant, you can
ask, "Are you with an accounting firm, or do you work for a business in a
different industry?"

4. What do you like about your job?

Open-ended questions like this are a great follow-up, because they
probably can't be answered in a couple of words. It reinforces
positivity and communicates interest in their work.

5. How did you get started in this kind of work?

You can learn so much about someone if you hear even a bit about
their journey instead of focusing exclusively on the here and now. And
when people start telling their story, things can really get
interesting.

6. What are you hoping to get out of this event?

Obviously this isn't a question to ask at, say, a birthday party for a
board member, but if the focus is professional, it's worth a try. It
gives the other person a chance to communicate something about
themselves indirectly--is their answer funny, sarcastic, sincere,
dismissive?

7. I love your work.

If you're talking with someone well-known, expressing admiration for
their work can be a good starting place. From there, you can pivot into
something more open-ended, like "I heard you speak about your new
project at last year's conference--how is that going?" or "One of the
ideas in your book really helped me through a rough patch . . . "

8. What advice would you give someone just starting out in your industry?

With an industry veteran or older person, an open-ended hypothetical
like this can lead you to valuable insights. You may also want to ask
how the industry has changed during the course of their career.
The bottom line is this: Be interested in learning more about others,
and you'll always have something to ask. Be willing to engage in give
and take and give something of yourself as well, and you'll soon wonder
what it is you were so intimidated by.